The Cub
by Randomuso
Summary: Remus Lupin is asked to re-take a job at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry with some rather difficult complications, and two little boys find out that they are meant for much greater things than work at an orphanage.   -Lots of OCs in this story!
1. A Job Offer

Remus Lupin's natural senses caused him to be more than a little suspicious as Professor Albus Dumbledore apparated on his doorstep, smiling pleasantly as always.

"Good morning, Albus." he began hesitantly.

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes grew considerably as he took in the werewolf's suspicion. "Good morning, Remus. How are you getting on?"

Smiling gently, Remus invited Dumbledore inside and waved his wand, brewing some tea. "As well as can be expected." he replied, handing the Headmaster a cup.

Albus took his offering with a nod, his sharp eyes taking in Remus' dishevelled state. "That's good to hear."

Giving the Headmaster a smile, Remus gestured towards the table, and the pair of them took a seat. Remus winced as his muscles ached in protest at the movement and hoped that this conversation wouldn't last long.

"Now, I can see that you are impatient to find out why I am here."

Remus knew that the powerful wizard's impressive perception was needed less than his experience with Lupin's peakiness on the 'day before' to know that the werewolf would much rather get right to the point than exchange any more pleasantries, and despite the rhetorical nature of the statement, Remus nodded in reply.

Albus leant forward slightly, steeping his fingers and fixing his eyes on the wizard before him. "I have two favours to ask of you."

Remus settled back in his chair. There it was. There was a reason he was suspicious when Dumbledore came to visit. "Ah. By all means, ask away."

"First of all, there is a position open at the school yet again, and I wish for you to fill it. It is a subject you are familiar with."

Remus smiled. Defense Against the Dark Arts. He did enjoy teaching, and no-one could resist Dumbledore when he wanted a favour of them. "I see. I would be glad to fill the spot."

Albus' wise eyes twinkled as he chuckled. "Of course you would. However, there is something else you must consider first. Alyssa Pedrin turned 11 last month."

Remus' gaze fell to the floor for a moment as he absorbed the new information. Alyssa Pedrin…Another werewolf.

"Do you foresee any issues?"

Two werewolves at the school. It would be interesting to say the least…but Remus had known Alyssa since birth, and had spent several full moons with her over their shared years. He didn't see how having them both at the school could be an issue. If the school could handle one, it could handle two.

"If it helps your decision, I already told her mother that you would be taking care of her."

Lupin looked up to see the Headmaster staring intently at his tea. Sighing heavily, Remus couldn't help but smile. Classic Dumbledore. "There should be no issues. I know Alyssa very well, and even if I didn't, I'd be alpha, so there would be no problem."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and held up a finger. "That brings me nicely to my next favour."

Remus leant back in his chair. This ought to be good.

"There is a student that I wish to join the school this September. However, they have a furry little problem much the same as your own, and unless my judge of character has failed rather dramatically, I fear that I will come across much the same issues with him as I did with you in regards to lack of confidence and self-doubt."

Emotion swelled in Lupin's chest. He licked his dry lips before speaking. Alyssa, who he was 'Uncle Loopy' to, was one thing, but another wolf? Three of them would make up a pack, and with Alyssa around there would definitely be fireworks. "And what do you want from me? Your powers of persuasion surely haven't dropped that badly since my own time."

Albus smiled. "Alas, no, however, I do wish for you to come along. I believe that hearing a story like his own, a success story no less, and knowing that he will have another of his kind at the school with him while he learns will make him feel a lot more secure about coming to the school."

Nodding, Remus thought back to his own times at Hogwarts, remembering when the Professor had visited him to tell him that he could attend school. He had resisted the lure of a normal life for a long time, until Albus had convinced him he would pose no danger to anyone. Back then, if he had been told that there would be another werewolf there to share the monthly transformations with him, let alone two, he would have accepted the invitation in a heartbeat.

"I also believe that the boy is in need of a mentor, and some understanding. The environment he lives in is not, shall we say, conducive to his condition."

That scared Remus a little. Agreeing to this would bind him to this werewolf cub, give him responsibility for him. Lupin started. Cub? Where had that come from? Sighing, Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that he wouldn't be able to leave this kid by himself. He knew, and Dumbledore knew. Remus sighed. "Very well."

The twinkle flew back into Dumbldore's eyes as he bounced to his feet far too spritely for a man of his age. "Excellent! Come along, Remus. I wish for you to get acquainted with the lad."

Unable to keep the grin off of his face, Remus joined him, placing his hand on Dumbledore's, unsure of where exactly they were going. "Alyssa and a new lad…why do I get the feeling that I'm going to have quite a rough year?"

Dumbledore simply chuckled.


	2. Apparition or Apparation?

With a bang, the pair apparated to a lane in the country in the North, almost at the Lake District. At the end of the lane, there was a fairly large house, made of red brick and square windows that sparkled with squeaky clean.

"Welcome to Fairwell Orphanage, Remus. That is where our lad resides. Unfortunately for him, he was bitten at an early age, and his parents abandoned him. He has lived here since he was six."

Remus grimaced as he put his hands in his pockets, wandering up the lane. "Old enough to understand, but also old enough to remember."

Albus smiled at Lupin's kind heart shining through. "His name is Reginald Parks. He is eleven today, but I doubt that any of his guardians will give such a thing a thought. As I hear it, he runs away the day of every full moon, returning the day after."

Remus nodded. He had had parents that had locked him in a cellar during his transformations and cared for him afterwards, but this boy had no-one to do anything of the sort.

It didn't take long for the wizards to reach the orphanage. Knocking on the door, they waited a moment until it was answered by a young girl who was wiping sleep from her eyes. It was only seven o clock in the morning, and no-one sensible was awake yet. Werewolves often slept very little, and so Remus had been awake for a while when Albus had appeared. Speaking of Albus, he smiled kindly at the young girl, who looked about thirteen.

"Good morning, may we speak to Reginald?" he asked politely.

The girl hid a yawn behind her hand, her sleepy eyes wide at the robes that Albus wore. The little girl herself was a muggle, and wore a shabby nightdress that had seen better days.

"Um, who are you…?" she asked tiredly.

Remus laughed. He wore clothes that could be taken as muggle, but Albus was far too eccentric for such mediocre attire.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, and this is Remus Lupin. I need to speak with Reginald."

She stifled another yawn and turned around, gesturing for them to follow her inside. "Sure, why not. Come on, I'll take you upstairs."

She led the way through the unnaturally tidy house and up a set of stairs, into a hall with a thousand identical doors. The girl pointed out a door at the end of the hall. "The ten year olds are in there."

Remus thanked her with a smile while Dumbledore did it verbally and they continued into the room pointed out to them as the little girl went back downstairs, throwing confused glances at them the whole way down.

The door opened quietly on a room full of slumbering young boys in rickety bunkbeds. It took them only a second to locate Reginald. He was short and scrawny, even moreso than the other lads, and he was the only boy who was awake, staring out of the window and resting his chin on his elbows on the sill. He wore trousers and a shirt so faded that the original colour had washed out completely and the lad's pale face seemed the same, washed of emotion and energy. He looked tired, a feeling Lupin knew well.

Reginald's hair was dark, curling around the bottoms of his ears and jaw. His eyes were blue-green, and stormy, filled with the emotion that had washed off of his face. Sweat beaded on his brow, a common symptom of the day before for young werewolves. Lupin had long since learnt to control it.

Electricity crackled through Remus' body as he entered the room, sensing the presence of another werewolf. Reginald must have felt it too, for he gasped audibly and whipped around to face them, his eyes narrowing in confusion as he zeroed in on Remus. It was obvious that he didn't know what the crackle of electricity meant, but he was distracted a second later by the voluminous robes Albus wore. He recognised them, obviously from a younger life.

Holding a finger to his lips, Remus beckoned with the other hand, letting his eyes rest imperiously on the cub. Merlin! Why did he keep calling him cub?

"As you were about to leave, I'm sure it will make no difference if you come with us for a while, Reginald." Albus hinted.

In a confused state, the lad looked to Lupin for support.

"We have much to discuss." the older werewolf nudged softly, taking the young boy's hand and placing it on Dumbledore's arm as they apparated, waking the other boys in the dormitory with the resounding crack.


	3. Revelations

A second later, the trio were standing in a grassy field, staring out to sea. The sun was warm on their backs, a light wind toying with their hair.

Reginald wasn't half confused.

"Are you alright, Reginald?" Dumbledore asked.

"Reggie." was the immediate correction, followed by a downcast look. "And, yes, thank you."

Albus' eyes twinkled as he fought a smile. Remus didn't bother. "Very well, Reggie, I am sure you remember from your parents, that you are in fact a young wizard."

The boy's eyes were still wide, but he had been expecting that type of comment. "Yes, sir."

"Well, I am here to tell you that there are schools for young witches and wizards like yourself, and as of today, you are eligible for my school, Hogwarts. I am Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and this is Mr Remus Lupin, the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor."

The boy's eyes widened further as he took in the excessive amount of information. He plonked himself down on the grass, folding his legs beneath him.

Laughing, Lupin joined him.

Slowly, Reggie's mind came out of shock to work through the information he'd been given, and Lupin was suddenly wary of an onslaught of questions that he could see forming in the boy's eyes.

"I can train my magic?" Reggie began.

The two adults nodded.

"At your school?"

"Hogwarts, yes."

"Would I have to move house? Please say yes."

With a chuckle, Albus replied, "You would have to board, Reggie."

There was a moment of silence.

"There are others like me?"

"A whole world of others." Dumbledore tried, but Reggie's eyes grew sharp.

"I don't think there are…" he admitted softly.

Remus felt his pain as a clear memory from his youth, and couldn't help but move closer to the downtrodden boy. "There aren't many, but there are some, cub." he encouraged, pulling a bar of chocolate from his jacket.

He gave it to Reggie as he looked up suspiciously. "I share the same little moonlight malady as you, Reggie, and I understand what you are feeling. There are measures that will be taken to ensure the safety of you and the others at the school."

Reggie was so hopeful and amazed at the revelation that he had stopped breathing. He was going to get taught by a werewolf?

"Hogwarts is an amazing place. You are a bright boy, I can tell, and I will care for you while you are there. You have nothing to fear."

At the well of emotions building in the lad's eyes, Lupin smiled gently, and gestured towards the unopened bar of chocolate hanging in Reggie's limp hand. "Eat; you'll feel better."

Obediently, Reggie broke off a piece of the chocolate and nibbled on it. "What measures?" he asked warily.

Dumbledore and Lupin shared a look, and Lupin shifted so he was sitting directly in front of Reggie, whose mouth dropped open when Dumbledore conjured himself an armchair.

"Reggie, we will be locked in a shack during the full moon so we can't attack anyone."

Reggie nodded slowly.

"The Shack, due to my ah, influence of a full moon, has been labelled the Shrieking Shack, and people are under the belief that it is the most haunted building in Britain."

A laugh barked out of Reggie's throat. "You make that much noise?"

Lupin gave him a sideways look which had Reggie smiling sheepishly, while Dumbledore didn't bother to hide his chuckles. "Oh, Alyssa will like this one."

Lupin hmmed. "Unfortunately, I get the feeling that they'll be getting along famously." His gaze turned seriously once more. "Have you heard of a potion called wolfsbane?"

All of a sudden, there was a knot in Reggie's throat. "Yes. That was my last hope of staying with my family, but I'm not allowed to take it until I'm twelve."

Lupin smiled softly. "Yes. You'll be allowed to take it during your second year, but not until then, so the first year of transformations are going to be hard. I will be there with you, every step of the way, from the school to the shack and back again."

Reggie smiled. "I'm glad."


	4. Precautions

Dumbledore left soon after that, leaving the two werewolves to get acquainted. The silence was strange as Remus examined the boy before him. He could see that he had questions he was dying to ask, and he had some himself.

"I sense that there are some things you wish to ask me, cub." he smiled.

Reggie's blue-green eyes were bright with excitement and his sweat-spangled brow was creasing as his eyebrows climbed to his hairline. "Yes, sir! How many other werewolves are there, sir?"

Remus shrugged. He had often sought an answer the very question he had been asked. "There are not many in Europe, just over fifty, including us, and many of them are quite savoury characters. As for the rest of the world, no-one knows." he answered softly.

The eleven year old's brow had furrowed halfway through Remus' sentence. "Savoury? Savoury like…vegemite, or savoury like something disgusting?"

Remus grimaced. "I see no difference between the two."

"Oh, come on! Damn English people…"

Remus' mind clicked. "Are you Australian? You sound like you're from up here."

Reggie shrugged. "My parents were Aussies. I lived there until I was six. They apparated to the other side of the world to get rid of me…I haven't seen Australia since I was six, but I remember vegemite sandwiches."

Remus grimaced yet again when Reggie's voice cracked while talking about his parents. "That must have been very traumatic for you, Reggie." he murmured softly.

Reggie shrugged. "I've had a lot of time to get over it." he whispered in reply, before speaking up again. "Now, about these savoury characters?"

His mind having been nudged back on track, Remus frowned. "Yes. The most savoury is a werewolf by the name of Fenrir Greyback. He is a particularly evil man. He enjoys transformation, and he infects children and turns them against other humans in the hope of one day overthrowing wizards and taking over the world. He works for You-Know-Who, and is more wolf than man, now."

At the statement that Greyback enjoyed transformation and the memory that Remus had triggered by mentioning You-Know-Who, Reggie gasped, but then his gaze sharpened. "Greyback, he bit you, didn't he?"

It was less of a question than a statement.

Remus hung his head. "Yes, Reggie, he was the werewolf that infected me. I do not know who bit you." His eyes fixed on Reggie's. "Not all of us are bad, cub. Most of us can't help ourselves."

The cub's eyes darkened. "I know that."

Remus cuffed him over the head, rewarded by a shocked look. "I can see where your thoughts are headed, cub, and I won't allow it. You are not to blame for your affliction, or the thoughts that occur while transformed."

Reggie's eyes were wide and he looked very confused, and…scared. There was a tiny bit of fear nestled in his gaze. "Sir, I-I don't understand…"

Lupin's gaze was stern as he looked down at the young werewolf. "Reggie, our affliction breeds a particular kind of evil, but it is not the evil you think. _You_, are _not_ evil."

Reggie's intent gaze showed that he was hanging off Lupin's words.

"Thoughts develop inside your head and lead you to think that you are a bad person, they are the ones you need to watch out for. Never take any heed of these thoughts, for they will lead you down a very dark path. Every werewolf feels the same need to bite and infect. The fact that you recognise those things as bad is a sure sign that you are good." He took the boy by the shoulders as he blinked in astonishment. "You are a good person, no matter what happens to you on a full moon."

Reggie looked down immediately, his curls swinging forlornly. "How do you know I'm a good person? I'm a werewolf…"

Lips tightening, Lupin grabbed the scrawny boy's elbow and lifted him up slightly. With his free hand, he delivered a few sound blows to Reggie's backside and plonked him down again.

Reggie's face was painted with shock, his eyes impossibly wide and his mouth almost gaping as his hands flew to his bottom and he stared at Lupin in surprise.

The older werewolf hid a smile at the lad's comical expression. "You can expect that every time you feel fit to put yourself down."

Reggie still looked confused.

"Think about it this way. You have decided that you are evil because you are a werewolf. Tell me then, I am a werewolf also, am I evil?"

Reggie looked very concerned all of a sudden. "Of course not! You're the kindest man I've ever met!" He was still rubbing his backside.

Remus just smiled.

Reggie nodded in understanding. "Point taken…Would you really smack me?"

Raising an eyebrow, Lupin asked, "Would you care for another demonstration?"

"No! No, I got it the first time!"

Fighting the urge to laugh, Remus replied, "I thought as much." Fixing the lad with another, more serious gaze, he continued, "Reggie, as a werewolf, you have to remember this. No matter what you do on a full moon, that is one night in a month, 12 days out of 356. You cannot live by the full moon."

Settling back down from the now teary Reggie, he looked out to the sea and closed his eyes, giving the kid some time to digest and recover. He breathed in deeply, taking in the salty sea air, letting the wind pull his hair about for a while until he turned back to Reginald.

"Now, I should also tell you, there will be another werewolf at Hogwarts."

Reggie's head whipped towards Remus. "What?"

Remus laughed, surprising himself at the emotion. "Yes, Reggie. Her name is Alyssa Pedrin, and she's your age. Chances are, you'll have some classes with her."

Reggie's eyes widened again, and his mouth worked until he found words. "_She_?"

Again, Lupin laughed.

"I thought I was rare! That this was all very out there and unconventional!"

Leaning back on his elbow, Remus looked over at the bewildered Reginald. "It is Reginald, I assure you. I was the first werewolf to attend a wizarding school, and you and Alyssa will be the second and third respectively."

Reggie gave him a look. "Oh, well then…" He rolled his eyes.

Remus cocked an eyebrow, and Reggie immediately looked sheepish.

"Now, Reginald, Alyssa will be ahead of you in our little pack. She is a different breed of lycanthrope. She had the gene passed down from her mother, and has been a wolf since birth."

Reggie's eyebrows shot up past his hairline and he sprang up onto his knees. "What? How is that-How-Wh-Birth?"

Remus smiled sadly. "Yes, she was quite adorable as a baby of a full moon."

"Cute and werewolf do not belong in the same sentence…" Reggie spluttered. "How does she cope?"

Remus shrugged. "She's never known anything different. And as you'll soon find out, she is in possession of rather a strong personality."

Nodding slowly, Reggie sank down to the ground again. "She'll be ahead of you in the pack order because of her experience, heritage and instincts, and she always will be."

Reggie's hair shook as he nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't mess with a birth-wolf."

A chuckle took Remus' body as he got to his feet. "Birth-wolf. I like it. Now, Reginald, I must leave, but I will be there tonight, and we'll transform together, and then tomorrow I'll take you to buy your school supplies."

Reggie nodded. "Ok. Thank you, Sir."

Lupin jumped as Reggie lurched forward, throwing his arms around the older werewolf in a hug. Lupin couldn't help but to smile as his heart melted. "You're more than welcome, Reggie. I'll see you tonight."


	5. A Feeling

Remus sighed as he looked up at the immaculately clean building, wondering how on earth Reggie managed not to eat anyone while he was transformed.

He was taking him back to his house. As the alpha, Remus needed to be in complete control the entire time, and having Reggie lead him around this new environment would be less than helpful.

He could feel the same electricity from that morning, a feeling that seemed to increase the closer he got the orphanage. It was a feeling of power, reaching out from his chest to every part of his body.

He had felt it before, many times, when he was around Alyssa. It was dominance, an authority that only existed for werewolves. He knew what his dominance felt like, a feeling he associated with other wolves, but he didn't know what it was like for Reggie or Alyssa. They wouldn't feel the same, because they weren't alpha…

Knock knock knock.

He would have just apparated in, grabbed Reggie and left, but he didn't know for sure that he would still be in his room, and if anyone else was in there with him, a strange man simply appearing in the room with a pop would be rather…disconcerting, to say the least.

The same girl from that morning opened the door and gave him a strange look. "Twelve hours on the dot. Nice."

Remus smiled. That had been unintentional, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "Thank you. I need to see Reginald again."

She frowned, young mouth pouting at him in a way that made her far too adorable to be taken seriously. "Are you going to tell me why this time?"

Remus just smiled.

The girl opened her mouth to speak again, but Reggie's voice echoed down the hallway. "Teresa! I've got it!"

The young boy's head popped around the corner, beaming at Lupin through the glaze of sweat. "Leo's going too!" he called.

Lupin raised his eyebrows as he leant against the doorframe, folding his arms over his chest. "And who would Leo be?"

Reggie ran forward. "Leo's my best friend, he just got his letter!"

Smiling, Lupin quickly rearranged his plans in his head. "Alright, Reggie, we're going to my house for tonight, but how do you feel about coming back here the day after tomorrow and taking Leo with us to get supplies?"

Reggie ran forward and gave Lupin the second hug he'd received that day. "Thank you!"

Grinning, Lupin mussed his hair and looked at the girl that had answered the door, who was looking at them very strangely. "Thank you, Teresa."

She nodded and gave them a shaky smile, looking askance at Reggie with her eyes.

He just grinned and waved as he and Lupin went outside.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Reggie shuddered.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Remus gave him a sideways glance as he quickly recovered and joined him as he walked up the lane.

"Sorry, I just can't get over that…feeling when we get close. Do you get it too?" Reggie asked with an uncomfortable laugh.

Remus shrugged. "I get a feeling of a sort, but I believe it's different to yours."

Reggie nodded. "I've never felt anything like it before. It's like, if you told me to do something, I'm pretty sure that I'd be able to say no…I don't want to please you, I mean, I do, but the feeling doesn't make me want to, but I feel this kind of thing, I know that you are bigger, and stronger, and more powerful, and just _more_ than me."

Remus stopped and cast his gaze over Reggie as he completed his confused outburst. He cocked his head to the side slightly, his hands still in his pockets as he observed the younger werewolf. Well, he had wondered what it felt like for Reggie, and now he knew.

Reggie looked up at him, willing him to understand.

"I understand that authority." Remus allowed with a nod. "It's what I feel with you."

A small smile grew on Reggie's face and his voice grew soft. "That makes sense. I kind of like it. It feels…safe."

Again, Remus couldn't help but smile. He wrapped his arm around Reggie's shoulders and guided the younger werewolf's hands to hold onto him. "I hope that you continue to feel that way around me, Reggie."

Something dark and vile clawed at Remus' chest. He felt terrible for what he would have to do to the boy that night. Their wolves would be meeting for the first time, and although Remus had been confirmed as the alpha, as a human, the wolf's opinions were an entirely different matter, and there was no way to ensure that Reggie wouldn't fight his authority. His brow creased and he frowned as he began the side along apparition.


	6. The Price We Have To Pay

Reggie gasped when they hit the ground in Remus' flat, his hands flying out to the sides to balance himself. "Dumbledore was better at that…" he murmured.

Remus laughed out loud. "I don't doubt it. He is an exceptional wizard. However, I assure you that my apparating abilities improve considerably when I don't have to contend with moonfever."

Glancing around the room, Reggie asked, "Doesn't wolfsbane get rid of it?"

Sticking his hands in his pockets again, Remus allowed Reggie to wander around his small living area, taking a seat in his armchair to watch him. There wasn't much to see in Remus' flat. It consisted of a bedroom just big enough to fit a bed and a bookshelf in it, a small, -and due to Remus' efforts-clean bathroom and the connected living area and kitchen. Remus liked his living area. It had a small coffee table and a comfortable couch for when he had visitors, a fireplace that was connected to the floo network, his lovely armchair and a thousand book shelves, as well as his gramophone and record collection, of which he was rather proud. The walls were all bare, and floor was carpeted with plain material, but he had a large, patterned rug under his coffee table that leant some colour to the room.

"Sir?" Reggie queried, looking at Remus strangely. "Are you taking wolfsbane?"

Realising that he had wandered off in his mind, Remus gestured towards the couch opposite him, eyeing off the clock on top of his fireplace. 7:15. The moon would rise soon.

Reggie took a seat, swallowing nervously.

Remus smiled in a comforting way, reaching out to squeeze Reggie's shoulder. With the other, he reached into his coat pocket and handed the boy some chocolate. "It helps with the moonfever."

The chocolate was in Reggie's mouth faster than lightning.

Satisfied, Remus leant back into his armchair. "No, Reggie, I won't be taking wolfsbane tonight. Our wolf presences need to get accustomed to each other and figure out for themselves that I am alpha. My taking wolfsbane would interfere with the process, and if it isn't figured out, some of that confusion would leak out into our human lives."

Reggie squished the chocolate wrapper into a ball, before flattening it out and re-scrunching it. "Sir, how would it interfere with the process?" he asked softly.

Guilt stabbed Remus in the gut. He didn't want to answer that question. "Reggie, as a wolf, you will attack me to try and establish dominance. I need to retaliate and put you in your place."

Taking a deep breath, Remus closed his eyes for a moment and steeled himself before looking directly at Reggie. His blue-green eyes held fear, but also complete trust.

Another lance of guilt speared Remus' chest.

"If I were to take wolfsbane, I wouldn't be able to make myself hurt you."

Shutting his eyes, Reggie leant back until he could curl up on the couch.

"Do you understand me, Reginald?"

Reggie nodded.

"Reggie, look at me." Remus ordered gently, and then more firmly. "Look at me."

Wide eyes glistening with tears shifted up to meet Remus'. "I'm scared." came the broken whisper. "I don't want it to hurt."

Remus moved off his chair so he could gather Reggie in a hug. "Yes, tonight will hurt, but this is the choice you must face. You will have to endure another of these pack order fights with Alyssa when you meet her, and during your first year, you may be inflicting injuries upon yourself every month. This will be the first of many horrible full moons, but for people like us, that is the price for attending Hogwarts."

He shifted again so he could tilt Reggie's chin up. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Tears finally slipping out of Reggie's eyes, he nodded. "I'd do it a thousand times over."

Pride swelled in Remus' chest, and he shared a smile with the younger werewolf.

"Good. We have to go to the cellar before the moon catches us." he murmured, leading Reggie out and under his house, to an area that Dumbledore had placed enchantments around. Remus could safely transform there without wolfsbane, and that was exactly what they were going to use it for.

It was simply an empty cellar, with the ceiling magically transfigured to be transparent so they could see as the last rays of sun faded from the sky.

Realising how close they'd cut it, Remus shut the door behind them, locking them in the dark. Taking hold of Reggie, they shared a quick, desperate hug. "Please don't be stubborn, Reggie." Remus muttered, hoping with all of his heart that wolf-Reggie wouldn't push him to do anything too extreme.

Remus grunted as the first shocks of pain arced through his limbs as the bones began to change structure. He felt Reggie's hand slip into his and squeeze as the boy began to moan in pain.

Gasping as his clothes stretched and tore from his convulsing frame, Remus squeezed back and used the last of his willpower to murmur, "Stay strong, Reggie." as his human mind began to cloud and fade from existence.


	7. Scars

Reggie's arm hurt.

As he slowly regained consciousness, his mind was focussed solely on the mounting pain in his arm. It had started in the muscle just above his elbow, but as the fog that sleep had created in his mind cleared, it had extended over his elbow and down to his wrist.

The pain grew significantly with each second, mounting higher and higher until it was unbearable.

Reggie moaned gently, but the noise he made increased with the pain, until he couldn't help but to scream.

"Professor!" he yelled, but he needn't have worried.

Remus started moving him as soon as he had started to moan, putting his arms around Reggie's torso, pulling him up and shifting under him, so Reggie was sitting up in his arms.

"Ok, alright, sh, I'm here. Good morning, Reggie. Here, drink this."

Reggie found a glass of something in his hand. He looked at the drink cautiously before taking a gulp. "It's not chocolate, I'm surprised."

Remus smiled, glad that Reggie still had his humour. "Yes, well, there was no chocolate milk in the fridge."

Reggie grinned, feeling the pain begin to fade from his arm. Once he felt well enough, he glanced down and almost screamed again.

Deep cuts surrounded his elbow, and a long cut wrapped around his forearm, down over his wrist and onto the back of his hand.

He looked up at Remus, ready to complain, but the words died in his mouth. The Professor had a series of deep cuts swiping over the side of his head. Reggie gasped. "Was that me?" he whispered.

Remus just smiled, the cuts wrinkling. "I've faced worse than a wayward cub like you. And you came off much worse."

The pain had magically seeped from his arm, so Reggie lifted it up to observe the cuts properly.

The deep cut around his forearm would scar for sure, but he didn't quite know about the others. There was a mess of cuts and puncture wounds just above his elbow. Remus must have bitten him there.

"I already did some healing and gave you some anaesthetics for your stomach. I'm afraid I have rather a vicious bite." He gestured to his head. "But you did get a good shot in." he said with a smile.

Reggie grinned.

"Now do you want chocolate, cub?" Remus asked, offering him a bar from his seemingly endless inside pocket.

Smiling, Reggie nodded.

Breaking off half of the bar for himself, Remus handed him the rest and settled back into the couch beside him. "You'll want to watch out for Alyssa when you meet; she goes for the hind legs, cub."

Reggie choked out a laugh around his chocolate, but turned to observe the Professor more closely. He had scars just about everywhere you looked, and Reggie was suddenly unsure of how he hadn't noticed it earlier. "Sir, did she give you all those scars?"

Remus' eyebrows shot into his hair. "Alyssa? No! Definitely not." After the shock had died down a bit, he couldn't help but chuckle. "No, Reggie, Alyssa hasn't attacked me since she was 4. Well, she did accidentally hamstring me, once."

Now it was Reggie's turn to lose his eyebrows. "She _accidentally_ hamstringed you?" he yelped.

Remus grinned. "She was very apologetic. That's the only scar that Alyssa has ever given me. She's known me far too long for our wolves to fight. Maybe when she's older, but she'll be able to take wolfsbane in another year."

Chewing and swallowing the chocolate in his mouth as quickly as he could, Reggie kept Remus' gaze, curious. "So what are the others from?"

Remus sighed, and his eyes grew distant, as though remembering a time long past. "Reggie, when I was at Hogwarts, we had no potions master skilled enough to create wolfsbane, and for the first few years, I spent every full moon chained by myself in the Shack. The wolf took to attacking itself in lieu of anyone else."

Fear flooded Reggie's gaze, but Remus intercepted it before he could speak. "Don't worry, cub, I will be there to keep you and Alyssa from harming yourselves like I did."

Sucking on the chocolate some more, Reggie nodded. He believed the Professor. What choice did he have? "Only the first few years? What happened after that?"

Remus just smiled. "That's a story for another time."

"So that's where you got all of your scars?"

Remus' lips tightened and his hand hovered up to his shoulder. "Well, except for the original bite, of course."

Also unbidden, Reggie's good hand went to his thigh. "Well, that doesn't count…" he mumbled.

The werewolves shared a look, before they both returned to their chocolate.

"Get your energy up, cub. Tomorrow, we hit Diagon Alley."

_Sorry for not being particularly communicative with this one folks! Usually I'm quite chatty, but I've not really said anything with this fic. Yep, this is my first foray into the world of Harry Potter, at least it's my first online, and there will be a sequel. This was originally meant to be background stuff, but it sort of developed into its own thing…_

_Thank you so much for everyone that has story alerted or favourite this fic or me, you make my day, you really do…but I think you can guess what would make my day even better. Little button, says review…do it for me! _


	8. Diagon Alley

"Leo, you will love this!" Reggie said as they stared into the fire.

Leo's eyes were wide, and he gulped quietly. "Ah, are you sure about that, Reggie?"

The young werewolf gave a manic grin. "Oh, I'm sure."

Being around magic for the last day with the Professor, Reggie seemed to have reverted to how he was before his incident. He was remembering his world, slowly, but surely.

He'd gotten far too excited when he'd heard they would be flooing into Diagon Alley. Lupin had been insistent that Reggie was still far too weak to be apparating any time soon, so he'd picked up Leo and they were going to floo from his house. Reggie hadn't been anywhere on floo powder since he was 5, and he was enjoying introducing Leo to the world of magic as he re-discovered it, making this trip something of a double whammy for him.

Leo, on the other hand, who was generally pretty quiet and reserved, was finding it all rather overwhelming. "Ok, so what am I doing?" he queried.

Reggie looked back at Lupin, who held out a container of floo powder. Taking a pinch of the green mass, Reggie cast it into the flames, which immediately turned green.

Leo jumped nearly out of his skin.

"Ok, so now all you have to do is step into the fire and say the name of where you want to go! It's easy, believe me." Reggie instructed, all grins and nods.

Vainly attempting to dispel the nerves in his stomach, Leo gave his best friend a look. "At this stage, I would believe just about anything, but how about you go first?"

Practically bouncing off the walls, Reggie agreed with a rapid series of nods and stepped into the green flames, loudly proclaiming "Diagon Alley!" He was still grinning when the flames roared up around him and he disappeared.

Lupin reached out and put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "It really is quite simple, I promise you. Just throw in some powder, a pinch will do."

Leo swallowed past the butterflies in his stomach and did as he was told, noticing that his hand was shaking as he threw the powder into the flames. As per usual, they burnt a bright green, and crackled away quietly, waiting for their passenger.

"That's it, now all you have to do is step in and say 'Diagon Alley'." Lupin told him, holding his gaze. "Say it for me now."

His mouth suddenly seeming dry, Leo nodded before mumbling, "Diagon Alley…"

"Try again a little louder."

Straightening up, Leo looked the Professor in the eye and spoke again, this time clearly. "Diagon Alley."

The Professor clapped his shoulder and smiled gently. "Excellent. I'll be right behind you." He took a couple of slow steps back and gestured towards the flames.

Taking a deep breath, Leo squared off to the fireplace and exhaled slowly. Reggie had done it. The Professor had done it many times, it would be fine. Heck, Leo had simply put a hand on the Professor's arm and been magicked to the other side of England! Stepping into some fire seemed mild compared to that…

Steeling himself, Leo stepped forward and into the flames.

They surrounded him with a pleasant warmth, crackling gently against his body as though they were cats aiming for a pat. Leo smiled, and saw the Professor grin in return. He could get used to this.

"Diagon Alley!"

Reggie bounded out of the fireplace as soon as he stopped spinning, unable to keep the grin off his face and the adrenaline from his blood. His smile only grew as he looked around the dimly lit area he had popped out into. The area was a space seemingly reserved for fireplaces. As he watched, several other people popped out of different fireplaces along the walls even as a clerk was showing off the fireplaces as potential sales.

His eyes widened as he took in the clothing of the people in the shop, most of them wearing odd assortments of robes and hats in fantastic cuts and colours. He remembered it…this was where he belonged, this was where he was supposed to be. This was his world.

By the time Lupin and Leo had stepped out of the fireplace, tears had flooded Reggie's eyes and more than a few odd looks had been cast his way.

Lupin smiled as he clapped a hand on Leo's shoulder and led the awestruck boy over to where Reggie was standing in the entrance of the shop.

They stared out at the Alley that was already bustling with activity despite the early hour. Everywhere they looked, there was evidence of magic, shops with brooms in the window, odd animal noises and smells from the right, books with moving pictures on the right and right across from them, an apothecary with ingredients hanging from the windows.

Leo and Reggie shared a look filled with wonderment and pure ecstasy.

Putting a hand on either boy's shoulder, Lupin smiled.

"Welcome, boys, to Diagon Alley."


	9. Shopping!

_Hi guys! Thanks for the story alerts and favourites guys! The last few chapters were pretty short by my usual standard, sorry about that, but this one's pretty long to make up for it. Hope you enjoy! If you do enjoy it, I would love a review to tell me! ;p_

_I've finished this segment of this story, so I'll probably put them up every day while I write the sequel, which may take a bit longer seeing as school starts up again in two days. _

"Alright, so we have robes and we have our books and our cauldrons and stuff. Now what?" Leo yelled above the noise and bustle of Diagon Alley.

"Wands!" Reggie yelled. He'd been begging to buy a wand since they'd started.

Shaking his head, Lupin pointed out the Magical Menagerie with the hand that wasn't full of cauldrons.

"We get a pet?" Reggie asked. The sweet he was eating almost fell out of his mouth as he gaped.

Leo rolled his eyes. "It said so on the letter, dimwit."

The insult had absolutely no effect on Reggie, who immediately bounded towards the shop.

Leo looked at the Professor somewhat hopefully. He wanted to follow Reggie, but he didn't want to be thought of as such a child.

The Professor just smiled. "Go on."

Leo's face split with a smile and he bolted towards the store, his robes bouncing from their spot in his cauldron.

"Leo! They have so many animals in here! You have to check this bit out!"

The shop was so packed full of people, Leo couldn't have gotten to Reggie even if he had known where he was. Eyes wide, he spun in a circle to try and get a view of the whole shop. Cages were stacked to the ceiling with every animal small enough to fit in them.

One side of the shop was entirely devoted to owls, while the front was filled with cats. As he made it down the side, he observed the pure mania that was at the back. Some he recognised, like rabbits, snails and tortoises, but they had subtle changes that made them different to what he was used to. Then, however, there were things he didn't recognise at all, little balls of fur with long, thin tongues, and odd, winged creatures that looked like bats mixed with some sort of plant…

Turning away from the mania, he returned to the more familiar section. He gave the cats a look before passing over them. He could get a cat anywhere. He turned to the owls. Most of them had their heads stuck under their wings, but one turned to look at him as he approached. It was the largest bird there, with bright, orange eyes and black and tawny feathers. Two tufts stuck out of the top of its head, darkening from light brown to deepest black. It's head slowly rotated as it observed Leo.

He heard a clerk step up beside him. "Eurasian Eagle Owl. Beautiful breed. One of the largest there is for owls. He's the only one we have in stock and he's twelve galleons."

For a moment, Leo stared at the bird, but then he smiled. He loved it. "I'll take him."

Taking his new owl, Leo made to exit the shop.

"Leo!"

Spinning at the sound of his name and taking care not to bump into anyone, he searched quickly for Reggie.

It wasn't hard.

Leo blushed and tried to pretend he didn't know him.

Reggie was standing in the middle of the shop, simply beaming at him, with a cat in his arms. It wasn't just any cat, though, it was a _fricking humongous_ cat. It had a long coat of black, dark brown, caramel and reddish-brown fur, and a ruff of tawny and black fur like a mane around its neck.

It had bright, green eyes and it was barely tolerating being held in Reggie's keen grasp as he gave out massive grins.

He ran out to meet Leo outside the store, where Lupin's eyes widened at the sight coming towards him. "Is that a kneazle?" he gasped.

Reggie shook his head, his dark curls flopping about. "It's a maine coon!"

Sighing, Lupin lifted a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course it is. Good choice Reggie, as always." he said sarcastically. The Professor stared at the cat for a moment, reaching out to pat it. The cat hissed and swiped at him. Lupin quickly withdrew his endangered hand and sighed. "Well, come on, let's go and get your wands."

At that, Reggie's excitement over his new cat faded considerably, and nerves began to build up in his stomach. He didn't know why he was nervous-he'd been waiting for this all day! But still, the butterflies in his gut flapped their wings harder the closer they got to Ollivander's.

He'd always wanted a wand of his own. He remembered staring at his parents' wands when he was small, always wanting to have one in his grasp, to feel that power and that magic flow through him and out of that wand. And now he was going to get one. He was going to get a wand!

Lupin smiled as he stopped outside the shop. "I'll wait outside. You boys go on in."

Reggie took a deep breath, the butterflies in his gut making a tornado. He looked over at Leo who looked just as, if not more nervous, and they briefly hugged before entering the store.

Ollivander's was dusty and had the feel of intense age. Reggie shuddered at the power in that room. Boxed wands lined every wall and made corridors, floor to ceiling through the entire shop. Every wand in there seemed to buzz at the prospect of a potential owner's arrival.

A small man with a shock of white hair tottered out and smiled. "Ah, hello. And who might you be?"

A tape measure jumped up from the desk and began to measure them as the little man stared at them.

Reggie found his mouth dry, so he swallowed. "I'm Reginald Parks. This is Leopold Carr."

Ollivander's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe I've ever had any relatives of yours in here before."

Now that the conversation had started, Reggie wasn't nearly as nervous. "No, I'm actually from Australia, and Leo's muggleborn."

Ollivander nodded slowly, his piercing gaze resting on each of them in turn, before he spun and wandered off into the back of the shop.

The tape measure continued to ravel and unravel, first on Leo, and then on Reggie.

As soon as it stopped, Ollivander emerged with a small stack of boxes. "Now then, I have three choices for you," his sharp eyes rested on Leo before flicking to Reggie. "And four for you, Reginald. Perhaps you first, Leopold." He placed four boxes off to the side and spread the other three over the front of the desk, offering one of the wands to Leo. "Ten inches, solid, fir and dragon heartstring."

Leo held it in complete awe, and at Reggie's nudging, gave it a wave.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Ollivander scratched his head. "Not that one, I suppose." He quickly swapped them with careful, practiced hands. "How about this? Willow, ten and a quarter inches, springy and unicorn hair core."

Leo held it, and the neat, straight wand seemed to hum and warm up in his hands. Smiling, Leo gave it an easy swish. A sweet smell was produced, as the slightly wilted flowers in a vase on the desk perked up. At the small magical act, Leo finally seemed to comprehend what was happening to him. He _was_ magic. He was going to a magic school. He was _magic_! Tears quickly welled up in his eyes, and he made no attempt to hide them as they began to run down his face.

Ollivander smiled. "Perfect. Now, Reginald."

Carefully picking out a short wand, Ollivander handed it to him, muttering, "Rowan, phoenix feather, nine inches, unyielding."

All Reggie did was touch the handle, and the wand emitted a squeal like a banshee.

Quickly pulling his hand back, Reggie stared at the wandmaker, whose eyebrows had flown into his hair. "You pick one of the others, my boy."

Grinning, Reggie's hand hovered over the top of the other wands on the table. Closing his eyes, he put his hand on one.

Ollivander carefully took it out of its box and handed it, handle first, to Reggie. "Flexible, eleven inches, dragon heartstring and spruce."

The wand was dark and fairly long with a significant crook in the middle. Reggie liked it immediately. He grinned as he gave it a swish. The other boxes on the table packed themselves up, stacked on top of one another and flew into Ollivander's arms. The old wandmaker laughed. "Well, I think that one likes you."

Reggie grinned at Leo and the old man in turn. He had a wand.

"That'll be sixteen galleons each."

Stepping outside of the store with their new wands, the pair both ran up to Lupin and showed him their new acquisitions.

"Look, sir, look! We have wands!" Reggie squealed.

Lupin laughed. "So you do. Now, let's see about you learning to use them. Are you ready for school, boys?"

The pair nodded emphatically.

Reggie smiled, clutching his new wand tightly. "I'm ready for anything.


	10. The Hogwarts Express

"Alright, boys, let's board." Lupin suggested, flicking his wand so their luggage levitated onto the train.

Reggie and Leo were staring around the station in awe, seeing the magic that was flying around the area. They completely missed both Lupin's comment and his own magic that was right behind them.

Smiling, Lupin tapped them both on their shoulders. "Boys…"

They both jumped and spun around, Reggie grinning, Leo blushing. Reggie regained his voice as quickly as ever. "Sorry, sir. It's just…"

"Magical…"

Leo's blush grew. He obviously hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Lupin grinned. "That it is Leo, now you two go and find a compartment. I'm going to go and talk to the prefects." The older werewolf smiled and gently squeezed their shoulders. "I'll see you both at school."

Reggie barrelled into him before he could leave, his skinny arms wrapping around Lupin's chest. "Thank you, Professor." he whispered.

Lupin smiled and hugged Reggie back before placing a hand on the boy's arm where his cut was just beginning to scar. "You're welcome, Reggie." he whispered back.

Reggie and Leo jumped up onto the train and watched as Lupin vanished around the corner. He had gotten them there in good time, so about half of the compartments were still empty as the boys trundled down the hallways with their trunks. Leo was unimpressed. "Ok, I think this is the least magical thing I've come across…it's a train."

Reggie gave him a grin. "Ok, you've got a point, but it leads to the _most_ magical place you'll ever come across, so I guess it's allowed." He held open a compartment door and gestured for Leo to enter.

Rolling his eyes, Leo walked into the compartment and they boys helped each other to stow their trunks in the baggage hold before settling down for a long trip.

It was only half an hour into the journey when the sky darkened and rain began to pelt the windows.

Already supplied with a significant amount of magical sweets, Reggie had a chocolate frog in the side of his mouth as he pressed his face against the glass. "It looks like we're heading up our way, Leo."

Looking up from his inspection of a chocolate frog card, Leo raised an eyebrow. "You can see through that?"

Reggie threw him a critical look. "Yes, I can, and it looks like we're passing York."

Leo shook his head. "York? You mean, we went all the way down to London from the Lake District, just to come all the way back up again?"

Grinning, Reggie settled back on his seat again. "Looks like it." He reached out to his cat, which he had named Melvin. It was on the other seat, taking up all of the space that Leo wasn't sitting in, allowing the boy to scratch its ears. Reggie, on the other hand, was a completely different matter. As soon as he reached out to touch it, Melvin struck, swiping at his hand and opening a few light cuts on the back of Reggie's hand.

It wasn't the first time it had happened, but Reggie still insisted on trying it again and again. He was persistent, if nothing else.

It was strange, Melvin was cuddly and friendly to everyone except for Leo and Lupin. He had attacked both of them every time they tried to touch him. Lupin had at least gotten the hint and stopped trying after the second or third time.

Reggie just wasn't getting it.

Leo rolled his eyes for the thousandth time that trip. "It's getting kind of loud out there, isn't it?" he asked after a moment.

Cocking his ears, Reggie listened for a moment. Indeed, there were loud whoops and cheers coming from outside. It took Reggie less than a second to slam open the door and pop his head out. "Leo! Come and look at what's going on!"

Reggie heard Leo sigh and come over, and then felt it as his head popped out beside his own, but his attention was taken up by the situation in front of him.

There were two older students in the corridor, both of them looking about fifteen, and they were both angry. One was a girl, a tall, skinny girl with pale skin and white blonde hair. The other was a boy, ever so slightly taller than the girl, with tan skin and duckbutt styled, blonde hair. As they watched, the girl reached up and whisked out a wand from where it had been in her bun. Her hair quickly unravelled, falling down past her shoulders, but she took no notice of it. Reggie couldn't help but gape at her beauty and her action. The boy reacted quickly, pulling out a wand out of his pocket and steadying himself, taking aim at the girl.

A crowd had formed, crowding the hall, and they cheered loudly as the pair began to circle. "Go on then Andy, hex me." the girl called before laughing lightly. "Wait, I forgot, Carni is head boy this year, isn't he?" She grinned at the boy-Andy, apparently-in a charming way. "Scared of your big brother, are you?"

Feeling very out of his depth, Reggie just watched as Andy's lip curled and he shot a spell at the girl.

She quickly put up a shield, sending back a volley of hexes.

Andy grinned, easily defending himself. "You're going to have to do better than that, Chrissie."

Quickly falling for the taunt, Chrissie fired another shot at Andy.

The duel in the carriage went on with neither ever getting in a shot. Reggie and Leo eagerly watched every spell that was cast and shared a grin. "We're gonna be able to do that soon, Leo." Reggie whispered, not taking his eyes off the duel.

Leo nodded emphatically, his eyes never leaving the pair either.

"Expelliarmus!"


	11. The Duel

_Hi guys! Again, this chapter is relatively short, sorry about that, but it does introduce one of my favourite OCs, so I hope you enjoy him. _

Leo and Reggie both jumped and spun to face the deep, booming voice that had come from behind them. A tall boy with the same tan and blonde hair as Andy stood in the middle of the corridor. His hair was more ruffled and normal, and he already wore his robes over his wide shoulders and barrel chest. His eyes, the same shade of brown as Andy, were narrowed as he caught the two wands that came flying towards him.

Andy and Chrissie both turned in shock.

"Andy! Chrissie! You're both prefects now, you can't be doing this anymore!"

The pair looked at each other briefly.

"You're supposed to be the role models for the younger kids." The big boy gestured towards Leo and Reggie, who both shrunk back a bit as the attention of everyone in the carriage went to them for a moment. "What are these two going to think?"

The duellists both looked duly repentant, so the big boy stopped his scolding. "Because we haven't got to school yet, I'm not going to dock points, but if it happens again, your both getting detentions, and Andy, I'm telling mum."

The pair slowly nodded. "Yes, Carni." they murmured.

"Oh, and guys, there was a professor on the train and he was looking for you. He was trying to find you in the prefect's carriage funnily enough, and you weren't there, so next time, try and hang in there, alright?"

The duellists nodded affirmation, but one person in the crowd called out, "Which Professor?"

Carni grinned at the crowd. "His name is Lupin, he'll be teaching DADA. He's taught here before, but that was before your time. He left in my first year."

The crowd immediately began murmuring and chatting excitedly about this new professor. Andy waved at Carni before turning and linking arms with Chrissie. They exchanged a small kiss as they joined the crowd that was slowly making its way back to wherever it had come from.

Leo and Reggie stared at each other. What on earth had just happened?  
>Carni grinned at them and reached out to shake their hands. "Yeah, those two are kind of confusing. that was Christine Carnon, fifth year Slytherin prefect, and my little brother Andy, fifth year Gryffindor prefect. They've been dating for two years now, believe it or not."<p>

Reggie laughed aloud, but Leo looked dubious. "Doesn't look like a very good relationship…"

Carni chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that seemed to emanate from his chest. Smiling suited him. "No? Well, they get on alright. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Carni Sekret. I'm the head boy of Gryffindor this year. You guys first years?"

It was only half a question. Reggie nodded. "I'm Reggie Parks, and this is Leo Carr."

Carni nodded. "And what houses are you guys aiming for?"

Leo and Reggie exchanged looks. "Ah, I don't know. Leo's muggleborn, and I'm actually from Australia, so Hogwarts is kind of new to both of us."

Understanding lit Carni's eyes. "Of course. Well, there are four houses at Hogwarts. Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and the best one, Gryffindor." He winked at the last house. "No, each house has their own qualities that you find in its members, both good and bad, but you'll hear more about that later."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "But, how do we pick if we don't know which one means what?"

Carni grinned. "Oh, you don't choose, Leo, but my mouth is sealed on how that works. Just rest assured, you'll be fine, and no matter where you end up, you'll have people that will look after you."

Both of the boys smiled, minds reassured and curiosity piqued.

"Well, I'd better be off, but remember, if you boys ever need some help, or you just want to talk, you come and find me, alright?"

Leo and Reggie nodded quickly, both of them smiling. "Ok Carni, thank you!"

The big Gryffindor smiled and waved as he left the carriage, leaving Leo and Reggie to slink back into their compartment and sit down.

"How do you think you get picked for the houses?" Reggie burst out.

Leo shrugged. "You probably just get interviewed or something."

Reggie gave his best friend a critical look. "Leo, this is _Hogwarts_ we're talking about. It wouldn't be that boring, it can't be. I bet they make you fight something! Something really big and scary!"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Reggie, they wouldn't do that. We don't know how to fight something big and scary, so there'd be no point."

"But what if they do?" Reggie exclaimed, practically bouncing off his seat.

His eyes widening at the possibility, Leo looked over at Corrie. "Then I hope I don't die."

Corrie quickly settled down, looking disturbed. "Me too…"


	12. Hogwarts

The rest of the trip passed without much excitement, except for a brief interlude where the Leo had to teach Reggie how to use a tie, and before they knew it, the two little boys from a Lake District orphanage were standing in a crowd of nervous first years in front of the largest man they had ever seen in their short lives.

"This way, first years!" The man's voice as he began to walk away was gruff and deep, sounding like it had been rolled in gravel before it came out of his throat, but strangely calming and warm. "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and grounds at Hogwarts. You lot can all call me Hagrid."

With the light of the lantern swinging in his massive fist, the big man led them to a vast, dark lake and a fleet of small rowboats. "Three to a boat, there you go!" the big man called.

Leo and Reggie quickly pushed through the small crowd, jumping into a boat together.

Reggie gasped as he brushed by a small girl. Sparks travelled up his arm from where they touched. He followed her with his eyes, but she merely turned her head and cast him a smile before running in the opposite direction and jumping into a boat. They knew who each other were. Sparks like that were only for werewolves.

Reggie would never forget his first sight of Alyssa Pedrin. Her face was heart shaped and pale, glinting in the moonlight. Her ginger curls clung wetly to her face, dripping drops of rain as she smiled. Her eyes were a beautiful light blue and the curve of her full lips was infectious.

A tug on his arm woke him up. "Reggie, come on, get in the boat!" Leo said, spluttering as the rain hit his lips.

Reggie nodded, climbing into the boat as he looked back over his shoulder to the girl with the copper curls. So that was Alyssa the birth wolf…

The other lad in their boat was a lanky boy as tall as Leo, with wet hair that could have been black or brown in the rain and the darkness. His brown eyes squinted through the rain as he stuck out a dark skinned hand. "Hi, I'm Max."

Leo and Reggie shook it in turn as they introduced themselves.

All three of them let out a shocked gasp as the boat started moving by itself. "I'm sure this would be more fun if it wasn't raining." Max said with a grin as he looked around.

Reggie grinned back, but Leo was pre-occupied with the magic. He nervously clutched his wand, forcing himself to acknowledge it all as real. He was sitting at the front of the boat, and so he was the first to see the giant castle as the boats slowly turned a corner.

Clambering onto his knees, Leo couldn't help but gape at the sheer size and beauty of the old castle. "Reggie…Max…" he said softly.

The other boys heard him and stopped talking, looking over to see what was up.

A second later, they were both up beside him.

For a moment, everything was silent except for the rain. No-one was speaking. Everyone was just staring at Hogwarts Castle.

Hagrid broke the silence. "Welcome, first years, to your home for the next seven years."

Max clapped both Reggie and Leo on the backs. "Somehow, I don't think we're ever going to get used to that sight, lads."

Reggie and Leo barely heard him. They tore their eyes away from the castle long enough to look at each other. Home…so much meaning was conveyed in that one word, it was all they could do just to look at each other. They had a home.

Neither were sure whether their cheeks were shining from the rain or tears.

Reggie was gaping around at the hall and the giant dimensions of the castle with Leo standing beside him. Max had gone off to live up to his social butterfly standards, a task Reggie would have gladly joined him on, but the Lake District lad was far too busy being awed by the speaking portraits and the moving stairs. Everything about Hogwarts castle was simply amazing. Even just inspecting the contours of the walls was an experience, of which Reggie was gleefully partaking.

However, he had only a short time to inspect the antechamber the small group of first years was in, as the giant doors before them opened to admit a small, severe looking woman with a stern face and a tight bun of grey hair.

The little speech that had been going on quickly quieted as she looked over them. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonogall, teacher of Transfiguration and head of Gryffindor House."

Her introduction was as brief and concise as you would expect from a woman of her demeanour. "When you walk through these doors, you will enter the Great Hall. Here at Hogwarts, the Great Hall is where we eat all of our meals and celebratory feasts."

Reggie's stomach grumbled on cue and he grinned when Leo rolled his eyes.

"However, before you may take a seat with the other students, you will be sorted into your houses by the sorting hat. When I read out your name, please sit on the stool and I will place the hat on your head."

This Professor's teaching style was immediately evident through her way of speaking. She was matter of fact, and she would allow no nonsense in her classes and would not be swayed with a few sweet words. Reggie was immediately scared…There went all of his tactics.

"Follow me into the Great Hall first years." With those words, the woman spun around and the doors seemed to open of their own accord.


	13. The Sorting

If Reggie had thought the anteroom was amazing, then he had no words to describe the Great Hall. Tears threatened to spring to his eyes as he looked up to see the moon shining down at him brightly. Stars hovered just above his head in a deep blue sky and all around him noise erupted as Reggie walked up the room between two of the long tables filled with cheering students. Reggie was overwhelmed by the sheer amount information that was throwing him into sensory overload.

The clapping and whoops died down quickly when the stern woman held up a hand.

Reggie glanced around the hall, finding every eye on him and his few fellows. Everyone wore black cloaks and pointed hats, something that Reggie had never had the opportunity to wear, and all of them looked excited, wearing grins as they inspected the new blood.

Reggie looked up at the end of the hall, where another long table was on a raised dais. Behind that table sat a load of adults, most with at least a touch of grey in their hair. Reggie smiled as he recognised the astounding Albus Dumbledore in a large chair that peaked above his head looking awfully resplendent in his purple and deep blue robes. And of course, there was Professor Lupin sitting near the end of the table in a new jacket, still as shabby as ever. The professor sent Reggie a quick, reassuring wink and he was smiling as he raised a hand in a wave. At first Reggie thought he was waving to him, but after following his gaze, he tracked the gesture to the girl from the boats. Alyssa. Her ginger curls bounced as she waved energetically back at the Professor.

Reggie grinned and looked around the hall to see if anyone else had noticed the exchange, but he was the only one. All of the other students in the Hall had their eyes fixed on the ragged hat that was resting on the stool. It had a large rip down near the rim, and just as Reggie squinted to bring the hat into better distinction, the rip opened wide and the hat began to sing.

_Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
>But don't judge on what you see,<br>I'll eat myself if you can find  
>A smarter hat than me.<em>

_You can keep your bowlers black,  
>Your top hats sleek and tall,<br>For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
>And I can cap them all.<em>

_There's nothing hidden in your head  
>The Sorting Hat can't see,<br>So try me on and I will tell you  
>Where you ought to be.<em>

_You might belong in Gryffindor,  
>Where dwell the brave at heart,<br>Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
>Set Gryffindors apart;<em>

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
>Where they are just and loyal,<br>Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
>And unafraid of toil;<em>

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
>if you've a ready mind,<br>Where those of wit and learning,  
>Will always find their kind;<em>

_Or perhaps in Slytherin  
>You'll make your real friends,<br>Those cunning folks use any means  
>To achieve their ends.<em>

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
>And don't get in a flap!<br>You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
>For I'm a Thinking Cap!<em>

Reggie drank in every word that the hat crooned, storing it away in his mind. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin. Where did he want to be put? Where did he belong?

He wasn't particularly brave, or very smart…he didn't have a cunning bone in him and he hated hard work with a passion, so where did he belong?

"Maximus Artwell."

Professor McGonnogall's words rang out clearly in the silent hall, and Reggie turned to the side to clap Max on the back as the boy walked up to the stool. All of the first years were silent as they watched the first sorting they would ever see.

Max took in a deep breath as he turned around and sat on the stool. Professor McGonnogall placed the hat on his head and it slipped down past the small boy's ears. Max's legs were too short to reach the ground, so they dangled off the side and he rested his hands easily between them as the hat began to shift and move about, getting comfortable on Max's head.

A few moments passed, before the rip at the brim of the hat opened wide and a deep voice boomed out- "GRYFFINDOR!"

An almighty cheer rose from the table on the far right of the hall, and Reggie spun to grin at the table who were all clapping and whooping loudly as Max walked over to them confidently, milking the attention.

"Oliver Bright!"

Reggie's short attention span quickly caused him to lose interest in the goings on of the sortings, but he tuned back in only two people later when Leo made his way to the stool.

Reggie's nerves clenched for his friend and his eyes were fixed on the Leo as the blonde took his seat. Watching his eyes, Reggie saw them seek him out and sent his friend a reassuring look in response, hoping he caught it before the hat slipped down over his eyes.

The hat spent less time deliberating over Leo than it had Max, so it took only a few seconds on Leo's head to loudly proclaim- "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Leo smiled as he got to his feet, his long legs barely needing to stretch out to touch the floor. Sending Reggie one of his rare giddy grins, Leo made his way over to the table that was cheering almost reservedly, apart from a couple of older kids that were screaming loudly, as they had for the last kid. Reggie grinned as he saw Leo's hand dart up to fix his hair from the slight mussing it had received from the hat.

"Winston Cartwright!"

This time when Reggie zoned out, he had a long time to wait as first year after first year walked up to the stool and the stern faced Professor to receive their fate. By the time the list got to Mycroft Orion, there had been placements in every house-despite Ravenclaw having only one new addition-and Reggie was going through the alphabet with the last names. Excitement built in his chest as P approached. Parks…Parks…Parks…one more letter.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

As per usual, a giant roar came from the far table as the handsome young boy who just got sorted left for the table with a cheeky smirk.

Soon, he had to be soon…

"Reginald Parks!"

That was certainly soon.

Reggie's excitement built up and exploded as he tried not to skip up to the chair. He was intrigued by this new experience, and he was really quite hungry, so getting to those dinner tables was first thing on his mind. Which table didn't really matter, as long as it had food on it by the end of the night.

His nose scrunching as he registered his lack of height, Reggie climbed up onto the stool and grinned at the stern woman above him. To his surprise, she gently smiled back before she lowered the ragged hat onto his head. Reggie felt it squish his hair down and slide over his ears before he was plunged into the darkness of the inside of the hat.

'_A werewolf? Well then, isn't this interesting…I haven't had one of your species here since Remus up there…'_

Reggie's stomach muscles clenched at the words. Was the hat speaking aloud? Could anyone else hear him? Had the whole hall just heard of his condition? He swallowed back his fear and firmed his jaw. Of course they hadn't. And even if they had, who cared? It was like Lupin had said-one night in a month didn't make the rest.

'_Well that just told me exactly what I needed to hear, didn't it?'_

The hat's words confused Reggie for a moment as he registered that the hat must have heard his thoughts, but he had no time to respond or recover before there was a booming- "GRYFFINDOR!"

Grinning, Reggie shoved the hat up and pulled it off his head, feeling his hair spring back into place. He shot a giant grin at Professor McGonnogall next to him and she smiled back kindly, relieving him of the Sorting Hat. Reggie jumped off the stool and was met by a veritable wall of sound from the far table. He saw Carni smiling broadly and clapping from the end of the table as he made his way over, but Reggie headed towards Max and the last boy that had been sorted.

They were both clapping and cheering loudly, and Reggie grinned as he sat beside the latter lad. If these were the pair he was going to be spending the next seven years in classes with, he'd be doing very well. Reggie stuck a hand toward the olive skinned, hazel eyed boy beside him. "Sorry, I already know Max, but I kind of forgot your name…"

The boy gave a bark of laughter before a smirk settled back on his face. "Lovely to meet you too. I'm Mycroft Orion, and you're Reggie, right?"

Reggie nodded with his customary grin, pitching his voice to a whisper as the sorting continued. "Orion as in the constellation? The archer?" he queried quickly.

Mycroft nodded. "That's the one."

"Archer it is, then."

The handsome boy slid Reggie a weighing look. "It'll never catch on." he declared after a moment.

Reggie grinned. "Challenge accepted." With those words, he leant across Mycroft and yanked on Max's sleeve. "Hey, Mycroft is Archer now. Spread it around with your social butterfly super powers."

Mycroft slapped a palm to his head, but he couldn't hide his grin when Max gave Reggie a giant thumbs up and a conspiratorial smile.

"Alyssa Pedrin!"

Reggie spun around to watch as his fellow wolf smiled her way up to the stool, her ginger curls bouncing off her shoulders as she took her seat. She pulled the hat on herself, and it slid down over her curls as it had with Reggie. He cocked his head to the side as her shirt flicked up briefly to reveal a sash tied around the top of her skirt. Where had she got that from…?

His eyes flicked up to the hat. What he wouldn't give to find out what that hat was saying.

Whatever it was, obviously the outcome was different, for after several minutes of deliberation, the hat belted out- "RAVENCLAW!" And so, the second member of Ravenclaw house joined the table, and the second werewolf of the year took her seat.

Reggie's smile grew giant, and he leant back against the table as the next person was called. He was out of the orphanage. He was going to learn magic with his best friend. He was at Hogwarts.

The next seven years were going to be amazing.


End file.
